Roberts leaving Chemeketa to take Seattle job

Cheryl Roberts, president of Chemeketa Community College, will leave the regional school to take the helm of Shoreline Community College in Seattle.

Roberts announced her decision Tuesday morning, following Shoreline's decision to hire her, which was finalized Monday night.

She said she has mixed feelings about leaving Chemeketa. "It gives me an opportunity to return home to my Seattle-area family, yet (I) have to face the reality of saying farewell to all of you," she said in an e-mail to staff.

Roberts has been Chemeketa's president since 2007. She started the Chemeketa Scholars program, which provides high performing high school graduates students the opportunity to attend Chemeketa free of tuition.

She also led the effort to approve a $97 million bond measure in 2008. The bond measure paid for several projects, including the expansion of Chemeketa in McMinnville and the creation of the school's Yamhill Valley Campus.

With a full campus in McMinnville, Chemeketa also added a campus president, Patrick Lanning. Roberts put Lanning on administrative leave in February.

Lanning was the top choice for the presidency of Central Oregon Community College in March, but the school dropped its offer after discovering he had not disclosed the fact that he was on leave.